John hancock and levi bichaeds



' (ModeL) J., HANCOCK & L. RICHARDS.

SLEEVE BUTTON.

No. 249,760. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HANCOCK AND LEVI RICHARDS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE. ISLAND, ASSIGNORS TO DAVID B. CHURCHILL, OF SAME PLACE.

SLEEVE-BUTTON.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,760, dated Noveniber 22, 1881,

Application filed July 11, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN HANCOCK and LEVI RICHARDS, of the city and county of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new an d usefulImprovementin Sleeve- Buttons; and we declare the following to be a specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the under side of the shoe. Figx t is a detail view.

Our invention is especially applicable to sleeve-buttons, but is also useful for collar-buttons and studs.

It relates to that class of non-separable buttons in which the shoe swings from a transverse to a vertical position upon the post for the purpose of entering the button-hole, and is brought back to its transverse position to hold the button when placed in the cuff.

Our invention consists of a sliding post having a limited longitudinal motion within the external or hollow post, being sustained at its inner end by a spring within the button-front, and carrying at its outer end a shoe hinged to it, and kept in engagement with it by the pressure of a spring within the shoe, as hereinafter particularly described.

The button A has a hollow rectangular post, B. Within the hollow post B is a sliding post, C,which hasa slight longitudinal motion, limited by the spring D,which, passing through the aperture (1. at the inner end of the post G, extends from side to side within the button-front. At the outer end the post 0 has a square-faced head, E, through which, at b, it is pivoted by a pin, 0, to the butts F of the shoe G. A flat spring, It, extends across the inner side of the shoe and engages with the head E of the post C to hold it in the desired position. By means of this arrangement of the parts the shoe may v occupy either of the positions indicated in Fig.

2, the three exposed sides of the head E being made plane surfacesfor the purpose of such engagement. When the shoe is brought into position parallel with the button-front the head E of the post 0 lies flush with the outer end of the hollow post B, being drawn down into the post B as far as possible by the action of the spring D; but when the shoe is tilted to a vertical position beside the post B the inner post, C, is slightly drawn out by the leverage of the shoe, which finds its fulcrum on the edge of the external post in being swung over. This variation in the length of the post is the essential feature of our invention.

A radical defect in all buttons of this class, as heretofore made, has been that the post has too great length. It must be of sufficient length not only to receive the folds of the cuff brought together to be buttoned, but also to furnish a clear space beyond the cuff for the tilting of the shoe; but when the shoe is turned back into its transverse position across the end of the post, the post, because of its great length, projects too far, and the button does not set snugly against the cuff, but presents an untidy appearance. Our invention wholly obviates this difficulty, because when the shoe is tipped'to enter the button-hole the post is elongated by the drawing out of the inclosed post, as described, and when the button is in place and the shoe is turned back to its former position the inner post is drawn back within the external post and the button sets snugly against the cuif.

We claim as-a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent The improved button herein described, consisting of the button-front A, posts B C, springs D H, and tilting shoe G, all arranged and operating substantially as specified.

JOHN HANCOCK.

' LEVI RICHARDS.

Witnesses: WM. B. W. HALLETT', WARREN R. PERCE. 

